Method of and means for cooling internal-combustion engines.



E. II. LUDEIVIAN. METHOD 0F AND IVIEANS FOR COOLING INTERNAL COMBUSTIONENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED OQT- 6. 1917.

Patented Feb. 19,1918.

-ffff EDWIN H. LUDEMAN, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

METHOD 0F AND nesaaoe.

MEANS FOB COOLING INTEBNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specication of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. i9, 191%.

Application led October 6, 1917. Serial No. 195,036.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN H. LUDEMAN,

citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of NewYork and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Methods of and Means for Cooling Internal-CombustionEngines, of which the followingI is a specification.

This invention relates to a method of and means for cooling internalcombustion engines, and especially for driving the fan for cooling thewater of the radiator or circulating system of a water-cooled internalcombustion engine, although with certain modifications it may be appliedto air-cooled engines.

In the present state of the art it is common to drive the fan by a beltfrom a shaft driven by the engine. This has the defect that the beltsfrequently break and trouble or injury results. Also, the speed of thefan has a fixed relation to the speed of the engine, which istheoretically improper, since the speed of the fan should more properlybe related to the temperature of the water or engine. vention the speedof the fan :an be varied independently of the speed of the engine, andcontrolled by the thermal conditions prevailing in the circulatingsystem. For example with a heavily loaded engine running at low speed,under old conditions the cooling system is frequently inadequate,because the fan runs at low speed, but by the present invention Ithespeed of the fan may be increased in proportion to the temperature.

rlhese objects are effected by driving the fan by means of a fluidmotor, driven by the water circulation itself, or possibly by the oilcirculation, case being produced the engine, as usual.

Means are provided for controlling the speed of the fan motor. In watercooling systems this may consist of a valve controlling the flow throughthe motor, and while the valve may be operated by hand it is preferablyoperated thermostatically, being controlled by the temperature of thecirculating medium.

This method of cooling therefore provides that the speed of the fanshall be dependent upon the local temperature conditions and variabletherewith to make the cooling eHect by a pump driven by By means of thepresent in-l the circulation in either correspond to those conditions.Hence the ltemperature of the engine may be quite cliosely regulated. Inaddition there is an absence of possible injury resultmgrfrom breakingof the fan belt or improper' adjustment thereof.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevationof an engine cooling system embodying the invention, the fan motor beingparallel with the cooling jackets.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modification, with the motor in serieswith the jackets.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of a modification with an oil driven fan motor.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, 6 indicates the cooling jackets of aninternal combustion engine and 7 the radiator. At the bottom theradiator is connected by a pipe 8 to the water pump 9 which is driven bythe engine and is connected by pipes 10 to the jackets, and these inturn are connected by suitable pipes 11 and 12 to the top oftheradiator. This is the usual circulating system found in gas engines usedon. automobiles or otherwise. 13 is a branch pipe or bypass connected tothe system between the pump 9 and the jackets 6 and leading to a watermotor 14, preferably of the rotary type, and the outlet from this motorleads through a pipe 15 to the top of the radiator. The shaft 16 of thewater motor carries the fan 17 located as usual behind the radiator 7,to draw air through the same. In the top connection 12 t0 the radiatorthere is placed a controlling valve 1S. This is preferably athermostatic valve of known construction which will operateautomatically to increase or decrease the flow through this connectionaccording to the temperature. That is, as the temperature of the waterincreases the How will decrease, and vice versa.

ln operation, some of the water forced by the water pump 9 will iowthrough the bypass to water motor 14 and drive the fan, and theremainder will flow' through the jackets. As the temperature of thewater increases the valve 18 will reduce the roportion of water flowingthrough the j ac ets and will increase that flowing through the motor,thereby driving the fan at a higher rate of speed and consequentlyincreasing the amount of air drawn through the radi- 1n the modificationshown in Fig. 2 the fan motor, and increases usual water circulationremains the same, but the branch or by-pass connection 13a to the Watermotor which drives the fan is tapped into the system beyond the jackets,and after passing through the motor the water fiows by the connectionl5@l to the radiator. This puts the motor in series with the jackets,instead of in parallel as shown in Fig. 1. The thermostatic or otherregulating valve controls the flowl through the top connection 12, andby its operation shunts more orless of the water-through the ordecreases the speed of ythe fan accordingly. This construction hasperhaps the advantage that all of the water passes through the jacketsbefore it returns to the radiator.- In each.

construction, all of the water the radiator.

The advantages of a relatively constant temperature for the operation ofa gas engine vhave been demonstrated, and the present invention providesa simple and efective means for maintaining this temperature. Inaddition to the advantages of a motor drive which requires no adjustmentof belts or the like, the present invention may be so applied that incold weather, when little cooling effect is' desired', the fan will bedriven very slowly or not at all, while in hot weather high speed willbe produced.

passes through For an air cooled engine, the fan motor -f may be lplacedin the oil circuit and so driven, and since it is well known that theoil'is subject to vtemperature increase, the driving circulation thereofthrough the motor may be controlled thermostatically, in a similarmanner. The operating pump is conveniently the'same pump used as usual`for the water or oil circulation. but obvi-v ously an additional pumpcould be provided and driven` from some moving part of the engine. v

The invention is not limited to the particular mechanism shown, and thetype of pump, motor or valve used 4may be any .suitable for the desiredpurposes.

The oil driven fan motor is 3, the oil pump being shown at 20, drivenfrom the cam shaft or otherwise and connected by a pipe 21 with themotor 22 on thev fan shaft, with a return pipe 23 to the crank case orother oil reservoir, and a thermostatic control valve may be placedanywhere in the circuit, being indicated at 24.

I claim:

1. The method of cooling an internal comi bustion engine employing acirculating cooling fluid, comprising subjecting said fluid to theaction of a cooling medium and producing the fiow of said cooling mediumby forced circulation of said fluid.

2l The method of cooling an internal combustion engine, comprisingcirculating a cooling Huid about said engine, subjecting .engine to acirculation ycooling said Huid by a flow of air, producshown. in Eig.

said fluid to the action of a fluent cooling agent during itscirculation, producing the flow of said cooling agent by the circulationof said uid, and controlling said owac'- cording to the temperature ofsaid fluid.

3. The method of cooling an internal coInbustion engine, comprisingsubjecting said engine to the circulation. cooling said fluid by a flowof air, producing said flow of air by means driven by the circulatingfluid, and controlling the flow of air according to the temperature ofsaid Huid.

4. The method of' cooling an internal combustion engine, comprisingsubjecting said of cooling fluid,

ing said How by means operated by said fluid, and controlling said flowaccordingv to the temperature of the fluid and independent of the speedof the engine. A

5. The combination with a cooling system for internal combustion enginesemploying a forced circulation of fluid, of an air fan for cooling saidfluid, andmeans driven by the circulation of saidV fluid for operatingthe fan.

6. The combination with a cooling system for internal combustion enginesemploying a forced circulation of fluid, of an air fan for cooling saidfluid,'means driven by the circulation of said fluid for operating'thean, and means to control the circulation to vary the speed. of the fan.n

7. The combination with a cooling system for internal combustion enginesemploying a forced circulation of fluid, of an air fan for cooling saidfluid, and means driven by the circulation of said fluid for operatingthe fan, and means governed by the temperature of said fluid4 to varythe speed of the fan.

temperature of said fluid for governing said means.

10. The combination vwith an internal combustion engine,

of a cooling iuid,

for cooling said engine, and means of a pump driven by said engine forv'circulating a cooling fluid about i said engine, and a motor ing thefan.

11. The combination combustion engine, of a pump driven by said enginefor-circulating a cooling fluid about said engine, an air fan forcooling said Huid, and a motor driven by an air fan for cooling saidfiuid, driven by' said fluid and operatwith an internal said Huid andoperatlng the fan and means to vary the operation of the motor accordingto the temperature of the fluid.

12. r1`he combination with an internal combustion engine, of a pumpdriven by said engine for circulating a cooling fluid about said engine,an air fan for cooling said fluid, and a motor driven by said fluid andoperating the fan and means to vary the operation of the motor accordingto the temperature of the fluid and including a thermostatic valveactuated by the temperature of the fluid.

13. The combination With a fluid circulating syste'm for cooling aninternal combustion engine, ofa fluid by-pass in said system, a fluidmotor in said by-pass, and an air fan for cooling said fluid, said fanbeing connected to the motor and driven thereby.

14. rThe combination with an internal combustion engine and a fluidcirculating system for cooling the same, of a fluid motor in saidsystem, and an air fan driven by the motor, for cooling said fluid.

15. The combination With a fluid circulating system for coolingan'internal combustion engine, of a fluid by-pass in said system, afluid motor in said by-pass, and an air fan for cooling 'said fluid,said fan being connected to the motor anddriven thereby and athermostatic valve in said system and controlling the amount of fluidpassing through said by-pass. l

16. The combination with a cooling-fluid circulating system for aninternall combustion engine, including a radiator and branch pipesleading thereto, of a fluid motor in one of said branches, an air fandisposed adja- `in the other branch cent to the radiator for cooling thesame and driven by the motor, and a controlling valve forlgoverning theamount of fluid acting on the motor.

17. rThe combination With the coolingfluid circulating system'for aninternal combustion engine, including a radiator .and branch pipesleading thereto, `of a fluid motor in one of said branches, an airfandisposed adjacent to the radiator for cooling the same and driven bythe motor, and a thermostaticall'y operated means controlling the valvein the other branch for governing the amount of fluid acting on themotor.

18. The combination With an internal combustion engine and its jacket,of a cooling fluid circulating system including said jacket, an air fandriven by said fluid for cooling the same, and means governedby thetemperatureof the fluid to vary the speed of the fan and the lovv ofsaid fluid through said jacket.

19. The combination With an internal combustion engine and its jacket,of a cooling fluid circulating jacket, an air fan for cooling the fluid,means to drive the fan, and means governed by the temperature of thefluid to vary the speed of the fan and the flow of said fluid throughsaid jacket.

1n testimony Whereof,1 affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

EDWIN n. LUDEMAN.

Witnesses:

CHAs. H. TROTTER, Guo. E. TEW.

system including said n

